It wasn’t that long ago, four years to be precise, that La Canada was not in the conversation as one of the top teams in the area. Along came coach Matt Whisenant, with a resume that included winning a World Series with the Florida Marlins in 1998, and the Spartans will do something they’ve never had the opportunity to do – play for a CIF Southern Section championship.

The Spartans (22-7) had no trouble dispatching host Oak Hills, 13-2 in a CIF-SS Division 3 semifinal on Tuesday. The Spartans will take on Great Oak on Saturday at Dodger Stadium in a sectional final as part of a three-game extravaganza. Great Oak defeated Yorba Linda, 3-1.

Unlike in the last week’s two thrilling wins over Warren and Ocean View, the Spartans came alive in a big way as three different Spartans hit home runs. Leading the power brigade was Tai Walton with two round-trippers, Connor Buchanan and Evan Umland each had one.

“I don’t think anyone had this in mind when you are dealing with a semifinal game,” Whisenant said. “After what we went through last week against Warren and Ocean View – it got us ready for a game like this. It was really nice to see the bats come through for us.”

After being held scoreless in the first two innings, La Canada got after Oak Hills starter Matthew Kelly in a big way in the third inning, pushing across five runs in the third inning. Buchanan spearheaded the rally with an RBI double, and Tai Walton followed with a two-run home run.

The Spartans put the game out of reach in the fifth inning, scoring six runs that gave them an 11-2 lead. Among the highlights in the inning included an RBI double by Zach Feehan, Mike Lauenstein banging out a run-scoring triple and a three-run home run by Buchanan. Evan Umland turned in 2 ⅓ innings of work and didn’t allow a hit while fanning three.

Buchanan also turned in a reliable performance on the mound as he pitched 4 ⅔ innings, allowing two runs on seven hits and struck out five. “Connor was having a tough time with some of his off-speed stuff on Tuesday,” Whisenant said. “We told our guys what was needed to get the job done and they did it.”

Arroyo 2, Valley Christian Academy 1: History was also made at Arroyo on Tuesday as the Knights advanced to the finals for the first time in program history. And they did it with a one of the youngest coaches in Southern California in 24 year-old Ruben Hernandez.

The Knights scored both of their runs in the first inning and held on for a narrow Division 7 semifinal win over the Lions. The Knights will take on Mission Valley League rival Marshall on Saturday at UC Riverside.

The Knights got on the board when Felix Perez connected on a double that scored Aaron Martinez. Alexander Peterson would bring in the eventual winning run as his double brought in Ivan Ortega for a 2-0 lead.

Perez turned in an outstanding performance as he surrendered one run on four hits and struck out eight. Martinez was one of the offensive standouts in the game, as he went 2 for 4 and took away a home run on a game-saving play in the latter stages of the contest to helped preserve the win.

Arroyo’s pitching has been excellent in the playoffs as they allowed one run during the playoff run.

BOYS VOLLEYBALL

Mt. Carmel 3, Los Altos 0: The Conquerors, who won a CIF-Southern Section Division 3 championship last Saturday, saw their season come to an end on Tuesday with a straight-set loss to the host Sun Devils 25-23, 25-23, and 25-18. Los Altos finishes the season with a 28-5-1 record.

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